Alves wasn't. Villa wasn't. Pique wasn't. Busquets and Pedro were B team players. Xavi, Iniesta and Messi had never played as well as they would do under Guardiola. And the core team was nowhere near as successful under Rijkaard. They finished 3rd the season before.

Before that they won two league titles and a CL. Let us not pretend Rijkaard's Barca was full of donkeys and incompetents. As far as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi playing well, that is called improvement with experience. Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

Before that they won two league titles and a CL. Let us not pretend Rijkaard's Barca was full of donkeys and incompetents. As far as Xavi, Iniesta and Messi playing well, that is called improvement with experience. Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

It wasn't full of donkeys but it was full of primadonnas who weren't prepared to pull their weight.

Guardiola came in and immediately changed that.

And I watched Barcelona play Rangers the season before Guardiola took over. Guardiola simply isn't given enough credit for making Xavi and Iniesta the players that they are.

It wasn't full of donkeys but it was full of primadonnas who weren't prepared to pull their weight.

Guardiola came in and immediately changed that.

And I watched Barcelona play Rangers the season before Guardiola took over. Guardiola simply isn't given enough credit for making Xavi and Iniesta the players that they are.

They won the Euro 2008, before he took over. I agree they improve immensely, but it is not really Guardiola's doing. May be Xavi to a little bit. But Iniesta is going on a up ward (injuries permitting) curve since his breakthrough in 06-07 season

Riijkard built a very good team with Barca but it was nothing like Guardiola's team. Played a front three of Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Messi/Giuly that didn't do any defending at all; all three were left up the pitch at corners so they could counter-attack. Also played a double-pivot with Edmilson and Van Bommel as spoilers. In the 2006 CL final Xavi and Iniesta warmed the bench.

Riijkard didn't leave Barca in terrible shape but he definitely didn't "lay the foundations" for Guardiola either. Most of the players Riijkard's team were built around were immediately cleared out when Guardiola took over. And the tactical features that characterise the team now were pretty much built from scratch.

Originally Posted by indiaholic

Ireland on the other hand are everything that is good and just and beautiful in this world.

They won the Euro 2008, before he took over. I agree they improve immensely, but it is not really Guardiola's doing. May be Xavi to a little bit. But Iniesta is going on a up ward (injuries permitting) curve since his breakthrough in 06-07 season

The point isn't that he improved them technically, it's that he created a team that plays completely to their strengths. Changed the game too. People now think players that press from the front and play 235254 passes a game are the best types of players, even if they don't win anything in the air or get in the box a lot or put in big tackles. Before Guardiola the most highly-rated midfielders were players like Gerrard or Lampard that chipped in with a lot of goals and made chances with good long balls. Or players like Essien that ran around a lot and broke up attacks.

The point isn't that he improved them technically, it's that he created a team that plays completely to their strengths. Changed the game too. People now think players that press from the front and play 235254 passes a game are the best types of players, even if they don't win anything in the air or get in the box a lot or put in big tackles. Before Guardiola the most highly-rated midfielders were players like Gerrard or Lampard that chipped in with a lot of goals and made chances with good long balls. Or players like Essien that ran around a lot and broke up attacks.

This is what I posted previously, I don't think we are making different points.

Originally Posted by L Trumper

Biggest thing Guardiola did was to remove dressing room of most of the party guys one by one. Consequently it improved the work rate of whole team and the pressing game took off.

Never worth that wage but I suppose Arsenal had to stop the rot at some point and manage to make someone stay.

In more important news, Uwe Rosler has signed a two year extension, bloody great news.

There's the man Blackburn should have signed from LillestrÝm, obvz.

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